Our invention pertains to an enclosure for a power plant, that is, an engine together with its auxiliary equipment such as a radiator, a fan, an air cleaner, etc. Our invention deals more specifically with such a power plant enclosure readily adaptable to ambient temperatures and other environmental conditions for efficiently air-cooling, or not air-cooling, the engine, with provisions for allowing easy servicing of the engine and its auxiliary equipment. The power plant enclosure of our invention is particularly well suited for use on tractors and other off-highway work vehicles.
Off-highway work vehicles of each production model are usually expected to operate under varying climatic conditions, some in subfreezing, and others in tropical, regions. Still others may work in areas where the temperature varies over a wide range from season to season. The enclosures for the power plants of such work vehicles must therefore be readily adaptable to ambient temperatures, by being either opened or closed, in order to minimize their influences on the engine. Overheating and overcooling of the engine can both be detrimental to its operation.
The protection of the engine from ambient temperatures is not the sole function of the power plant enclosure. Even when opened for air-cooling the engine, the enclosure must prevent the intrusion of flammable solids into the power plant compartment. Wood leaves, for example, on accumulation in the power plant compartment could give rise to a fire from the heat of the engine. Another important requirement for any power plant enclosure is ready accessibility to the power plant compartment, for the upkeep of the enclosed equipment.
As far as we are aware, there has been suggested no power plant enclosure meeting all the foregoing requirements. For each model of vehicles, therefore, a variety of enclosures have had to be designed and manufactured to suit the climates of the regions to which the vehicles are to be shipped. This conventional practice has necessitated the provision of an inordinately large number of parts to make up such a variety of enclosures.